Unnerving Adventure

"Am I dead?" Ivan stood up all of a sudden staring at Billie.

He walked up towards her and shook her.

"Talk to me, Billie!!"

Billie was stuck with her words, she was as much as confused as Ivan was.

"I don't know Ivan" Billie finally said staring into nothingness.

"What?!" Ivan stared at her face, his eyes moving fast and dilated.

Billie turned her face away from him looking out the window said nothing.

The eternal silence covered the room and they stood there lost in their thoughts.

"It's them, I don't know how but I'm sure this has got something to do with that woman and that mist," Billie said finally breaking the silence, looking him in the eyes.

"I knew it", Ivan responded as he pushed Billie from his grip causing her to fall across the room into his bed.

"What the hell was that?", Billie asked getting a hold of herself and getting ready for a fistfight.

"I uh -- It was an accident, Billie, I swear!" Ivan raised his arms trying to calm her down and settle peacefully.

"Accident my ass!", she gritted her teeth aiming to punch at him.

Ivan covered his face expecting a punch but to his utter dismay, the punch landed in the gut causing him to bark.

"You're cool, We're cool, It wasn't an accident, It was on purpose", Ivan rambled as he struggled to stand straight.

"What did you say prick?!", she felt good finally being able to work her muscles and landed another hit on Ivan.

Ivan felt cautious as he covered his stomach and felt a smack on his head prompting him to drop on his bed.

"Are you alright?", Billie asked him, realizing that he was in his bed completely buzzed just a moment ago.

"Girl, you just hit me and you're asking me If I'm alright?", Ivan got up from his bed rubbing the side of his head.

"No! How are you feeling? you looked like you were dying a while ago", she enquired raising her brows.

"Ah well, thought I was dead", Ivan said shaking his head.

He continued, "I don't know, it all felt real and-" Ivan covered his mouth gagging.

Before he could move Billie swung him across the room, pushing him inside the bathroom and shut the door.

She heard him violently throw up as she looked around his room leaning on the bathroom door.

He emerged from the bathroom looking exhausted and sweaty just as Billie was an hour ago.

"This is exactly what--", As she attempted to convey the same unsettling blow she had experienced earlier, Ivan abruptly interrupted her mid-sentence.

"Man, you made me nauseous with that blow", he said rubbing his face with a towel.

"Huh?", Billie was startled by his dumb words looking distressfully at him.

Ivan threw his towel on his work desk and flopped into his bed, "I feel sick, need to rest!"

Billie stood there with a disapproving look.

"Are you for real? do you even know why I'm here?", she asked him keeping her anger under control.

"OH, MY GOD! Yes, what are you doing in my room?!", he sprinted up raising his hand and pointing his finger at Billie.

"We have to meet up with Miron!", she said her words marked with annoyance.

"Oh, why though?", he asked scratching his head.

"'cause, you're a dimwit and also that he's moved out of his father's", she said her voice slowly raising.

"He what?", Ivan squinted his eyes trying to grasp the information that Billie gave him. "Moved where?".

Billie sighed palming her face, "To his mother's....on the west side".

"Woah, My man's rich now, eh?", he said rubbing his hands.

"Huh, Your man?", she added arching her brow.

"Oh!, Pardon me for my mistake, OUR Man", Ivan corrected himself smiling mischievously.

"The hell?! Are you for real?", even in the dire situation Billie can't help herself from laughing at Ivan.

Billie explained to him about the nightmarish hallucinations she had that morning while Ivan filled up his part. Ivan agreed with Billie, that this had something to do with them wandering in the woods and the blue mist.

"Also, I met Selena", she casually added.

"Are you freaking insane?! Miron told us not to go there anytime soon!!", Ivan responded looking petrified.

"Yeah, well she refused to talk to me though", she sighed at her lack of skills.

"Be happy that you came back whole, you ungrateful brat!", he snapped.

She simply shrugged at him.

They walked downstairs to the dining room where they found Ivan's mother typing away on her laptop, a usual scene for Ivan.

Billie sat down as Ivan went through the pantry in the kitchen. He made a go-to sandwich with pickles and margarine cheese as she watched him work on it.

Wondering about going to the west side, Billie was fidgeting her legs, her hands on her cheek when she noticed Ivan's mother furiously typing.

"Umm, Ms. Alina, Didn't you say today was off for you?", she broke the awkwardness that loomed over the dining table.

"Of course, I was just planning out my schedule for tomorrow", Ivan's mother replied her eyes glued onto her laptop screen.

Billie was about to tell something when Ivan stuffed her mouth with the sandwich. 'What?', she signed him.

He signed her to zip her mouth. Billie sat there munching on her sandwich looking from Ivan to his mother as if they are some interesting zoo animals.

When they were done with the food, both stood up to leave the house and Billie stopped to say goodbye to his mother. Ivan abruptly nudged her to go outside, getting his coat and shutting the door behind him.

When he turned back to Billie, her face questioned him about his actions. He shooed her to walk forward.

Rolling her eyes, Billie walked towards her bike with Ivan by her side. The sun shone bright, and the air was cold, the weather in its usual contradiction.

With the newfound energy at Ivan's house, Billie and Ivan pedaled toward the west side mounted on their bikes.

They didn't stop mid-way to warm up, as it was a fun ride racing with each other, It could've been an hour's ride they wouldn't know but they had finally reached the west side as the rich and sophisticated energy slapped their face.

Now, the difficult part was finding Miron's place as the houses were located at a considerable distance from each other.

"Woah", Ivan exclaimed looking around the neighborhood as they slowed down surveying the houses. "I know this place was Rich but it's on a whole new level!"

"I know right", Billie nodded in agreement.

"How are we supposed to find the exact house---I mean, Mansion?", Ivan gulped.

"Perhaps, Look for his mother's name encrypted on one of the walls?"

"Oh Okay", Ivan said. "But what's his mother's name though?", as he asked this he bumped into Billie as she had stopped in her tracks.

She was right, they were now standing in front of a mansion that said 'KIRA' in gold italic font on the black wall. Weirdly enough, there were no gates guarding it. She parked her bike by the pavement and walked towards the mansion as Ivan watched her go.

As she walked into the entrance which she thought had no gates, she collided with thin air and fell to the ground, rubbing her forehead.

"Wow Billie, that one's on me!", Ivan laughed at her. "Seriously, Never read of these shields?".

"No", she said looking warily at the place where she bumped into.

"You should read, hon", he said smiling wickedly at her. "Watch this"

He moved toward the shield and looked closely as if he was searching for something, the moment he caressed the surface a shock wave prompted him to move backward.

Just then, they saw a woman in a black suit coming towards the entrance. She had a cold demeanor and was looking at them furiously.

She didn't have to ask anything, she was speaking with her eyes.

"Well, we are here for Miron", Billie said looking doubtfully.

"We're his friends", Ivan chimed in.

The woman seemed to calm down a bit and looked from Ivan to Billie.

"Sarah, take what you heard to Ms.Kira", the woman finally said.

Billie and Ivan looked at each other until the soft tone of the AI said, "On my way", taking them by surprise. There was an Immediate ping as the shield in front of them dissolved with a blue glow.

They walked in not being able to take their eyes off the incredible architecture of the mansion as it stood majestic amidst the greenish lawn that had no snow covered on them.

The woman led them inside the mansion, and they stood waiting in the lobby. The carpet beneath them made them feel as if they were in the clouds. They both grinned at each other, happy for their friend's luck.